Process for ungumming silk.



mp erm ne PATENT curios.

PETER SOHMID, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND.

PROCESS FOR uueummme SILK.

BIO, 848,605.

Original application filed July 1905, Serial No. 26 9,877.

specification. f a The present 1I1V6Dl31011 1s a dlVlSlOIl of my application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 269,877, filed July 15, 1905.

This invention relates to a new process for ungumming natural silk, natural-silk waste, and yarns and tissues of natural silk or of natural-silk waste, with the object of freeing these products from the serlcin envelop-v which surrounds the raw natural silk fiber.

This new process consists in treating the silk to be ungurnmed with soap-lather in the presence'of steam and air for the purpose of softening and rendering soluble the sericin .envelop, so that the latter may afterward be eliminated simply by washing in water.

For un ing, for example, one hundred. kilograms of; raw silk hanks I proceed as follows: In the upper part of anot tightlyclosed vessel containing about five hundred and eighty liters of water, in which thirtythree kilograms of soaphave been dissolved, the silk hanks are sus ended on removable and'rotatable holders in such a manner that the liquid of the vessel may not at any rate comeinto contact with the silk hanks. The soapy water of the vessel is then heated bv steam or otherwise to" the boiling-point in order to transform this water in latherwhich will risein the vessel along the hanks contained therein and envelop the latter at all parts, so thatv the said hanks will be sub ected to the combined action'of' steam, hot air, and soap-lather, the effect of which will b9 to soften and render soluble the gumming envelop, (sericin envelop.) The transformation of the sea ywater in soap lather may also be aide by injecting air'under pressure in the soapy water contained inthe vessel. In about thirtyfive minutes the sericin envelop will be sufficiently softened and rendered soluble. The hanks are then removed wit I their holders from the vessel and washed in water. By this first washing bath about four-fifths of the sericin envelop will be removed, and the removal can be completed b a second treatment with soaplather and allowed "b a second'washing.

Very, pure sericin so utions are thus ob- Specification o Letters Patent.

Divided and this application filed October 17,1905. Serial No. 283,146.

Patented March 26,1907.

tained,which can beultimately employed for dyeing pu oses.

Relative y to the old usual process for ungumming silk by hot soa water with continuous moving of the Slli the new process has the following advantages:

First. The un umming 18 made in a shorter time and, even 'or certain articles, in a few minutes.

Second. As the continuous moving of the silk in the soap-water is suppressed-that is to say, as the silk is not drawn to and fro-and up and down and is not whipped by the soap-v water-the single fibers of the silk remain uiet. They keep their cohesion, and no uif (floconnement) is produced, and, consequently, the raw silk (grege) treated by the new process can easily be re'reeled after the, un

mmin hird. Tie new dprocess allows even to dissolve the hardene silk-lime, which is often produced by overheated drying, and this was absolutely impossible with the old process. What I claim isr 1. ,The herein-described process of un ming silk, consisting in first making a ath containing soap, then treatin the raw silk with the lather only of the sai bath in presence of steam and air, the silk not being submerged, in the bath, and finally washing the silk thus treated. p

2. The herein-described process for gumming silk, consisting in first making a bath containing soap, then treating the raw v silk with the lather only of the said bath obtained by heating said soapy bath to the boiling-point in the resence of air, the silk not being submer e in the bath, and finally washin the sil thus treated.

3. T e herein-described process for ungumming silk, consisting in first making a ath containing soa'p, then treating the raw silk with the lather only of the said bath obtained by heating said soapy bath to the boilinlgi-point and injecting air in said bath, the s1 not being submerged in the bath, and

finally washing the silk thus treated.

In witness whereof I havehereunto signed my name, this 3d day of October, 1905, in

the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

V PETER SCHMID.

Witnesses;

ALBERT GRAOLE, -A.MAND BITTER. 

